Real Madrid: Erling Haaland’s Martin Odegaard request is great news for multiple reasons

Real Madrid have their eyes on striker Erling Haaland and wide forward Kylian Mbappe for the upcoming summer transfer window. And since Mino Raiola and Haaland’s father went on tour in Spain to visit with Los Blancos and La Blaugrana, the news cycle is stocked with news nuggets about Haaland.

The latest involves Haaland’s national teammate Martin Odegaard, who has been quietly seen by Madridistas as a quiet key to the club signing the Dortmund star over other competitors like Manchester City.

According to Fernando Burgos on Onda Cero’s El Transistor (article in Spanish), Erling Haaland has actually made a demand regarding Martin Odegaard. Burgos states that if Haaland were to join Real Madrid, he would want to share the locker room with his fellow Norwegian. In other words, he wants Odegaard there in the 2021-2022 season with him and not loaned out to Arsenal again or (worse yet) outright sold.

Despite how well Odegaard has taken to life under Mikel Arteta, Madridistas have never really taken the rumors of him staying with Arsenal seriously. And that’s mostly because it would be very silly for Los Blancos to do that. After dropping the ball on Odegaard this season, Zinedine Zidane and Co. have no excuse in 2021-2022. They must make space for Odegaard.

Erling Haaland’s request implies that Martin Odegaard could be deciding factor in joining Real Madrid

Now with word that Haaland unsurprisingly wants one of the world’s best young playmakers in his team, there’s even more reason for Los Blancos to make room for the 22-year-old with a sweet left foot.

The Odegaard and Haaland tandem could be a dynamic duo for years to come. Now imagine them playing with Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo Goes, and Vinicius Junior in an attack for years to come. That’s a huge dream and maybe even a stretch, but even just the Haaland and Odegaard tandem is tantalizing enough for most Madridistas.

It’s wonderful to hear that Haaland values Odegaard so much, and the implication is even more positive for Madridistas. Because if Haaland demands having Odegaard on his team next season, then that means playing with Odegaard is a huge deal for the striker, right?

So if it’s that big of a deal to him, Real Madrid truly do have a big edge over the other clubs because of the presence of Odegaard. Haaland knows how important it is for a striker to have a playmaker he can trust, particularly one like Odegaard who can be so effective on the ball and with the timing of his passes.